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POKER PUNCH BOWL: Negreanu’s Rap, Spraggy’s Downswing, Platinum Pass, & Bad Beat Jackpot

Poker Punch Bowl offers a look at the interesting, weird, fortuitous, and strange from the world of poker.

Welcome to the Poker Punch Bowl, offering a look at the interesting, weird, fortuitous, and strange from the world of poker. This inaugural column offers a look at some poker rap lyrics via artificial intelligence and Daniel Negreanu.

With the PokerStars Players Championship, another well-known online poker player also scored a Platinum Pass over the weekend. A Stars poker streamer also gave some insight on how tournament life can go bad.

All that as well as a huge bad beat jackpot that had several players thankful they chose to jump in the online poker action. Here’s some interesting news in the Poker Punch Bowl.

Daniel Negreanu impressed with AI poker rap

The new ChatGPT tool has been in the news quite a bit recently. Users are astounded by the capabilities of the app and how thorough the results can be. The artificial intelligence (AI) can produce written works, solve problems, hold a conversation, and more.

“We’ve trained a model called ChatGPT which interacts in a conversational way,” research and deployment company OpenAI notes about the app. “The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer followup questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.”

Many have hailed the technology as revolutionary. Investors are eager to get on board and there are even rumors of a possible $10 billion investment from Microsoft.

Apparently there’s also some interest from poker players as well. Maybe some players are interested in how the technology could be used in a man-versus-technology matchup? Or what about as a training tool or to offer some hand analysis?

Those may be interesting considerations, but Daniel Negreanu recently had a more pressing concern. Could the chat app create some unique poker rhymes? The six-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner was impressed with the results.

 

Facing the reality of a downswing

Ben “Spraggy”Spragg has almost $200,000 in live tournament winnings and much more online. The PokerStars ambassador  is known for his streaming and as well as being quite a soccer/football fan.

And despite a long career at the poker tables, Spragg recently took a look at that dreaded poker reality – the downswing. The new year apparently brought a tough run of cards for the Twitch streamer and YouTuber.

Dealing with a downswing is something most players can commiserate with. Even the best players experience some time in the red, no matter how well they might be playing.

“In the modern game, everyone knows the percentages and the correct plays,” 1999 WSOP Main Event champion once Dan Harrington noted. “What marks out the top players is how they handle themselves when they are losing.”

Spragg eventually bounced back, notching a 17th-place finish in the Irish Poker Open for $4,213. He also scored a nice online finish as well.

Vanessa Kade scores Platinum Pass

The PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) is right around the corner. The $25,000 event runs from Jan. 30 – Feb. 3 and the site continued dishing out Platinum Passes in January.

Canadian poker pro Vanessa Kade was one of the latest, receiving a pass out of the blue over the weekend. She was thrilled with her good fortune.

“I was just settling in to play my Sunday game and logged into Stars, and this is the first thing I see,” she said in a video posted on her Twitter account. “Thanks so much PokerStars.

“You guys have already given me three incredible life-changing experiences with the opportunity to win the Sunday Million, a trip to Barcelona, and an amazing trip to Brazil to see F1 (Formula One) and meet so many incredible people. I will happily join you in the Bahamas for yet another adventure, thank you so much.”

Kade has more than $1.1 million in live tournament winnings and plenty of major scores online. As she noted, the biggest of those may be winning the 15th anniversary of the Sunday Million in 2021 for $1.5 million.

“This is the best month of my life and it’s not even close,” she said after the win. “This is the best day of my life.”

No doubt Kade is now hoping for an even bigger run in the Bahamas.

GGPoker has players heading to Brazil

Brazil has become a key online poker market in recent years. Poker sites continue reaching out to players in the land of samba and sun, and GGPoker recently made an additional foray into the country.

The company has added its name to Brazil’s largest live poker series, rebranded the Kings Series of Poker by GGPoker. GG hasn’t embraced live poker as much as competitors so far, but continues partnering with other tournament series.

The first stop on the Kings tour is set for Feb. 8-14 in Rio de Janeiro. GG is already offering online qualifiers for a chance at a nice South American getaway.

An awesome Omaha bad beat jackpot

Speaking of GGPoker, the site partnered with the World Series of Poker in 2022 for an exclusive site for players in Ontario, Canada. WSOP.ca features championship ring and bracelet events throughout the year as well as plenty of other action.

The site was also recently home to a massive bad beat jackpot payout in an Omaha cash game. The hand saw a player named “Bafaym” flop a royal flush.

Another player named “timmy turnem” held pocket Queens and hit a set on the flop. The fourth Queen in the deck hit on the river and triggered the $130,673 payout.

The winner of the hand scored $27,515 with the “loser” collecting an extra $84,853. The three other players at the table collected $6,788. No doubt these cash game players were definitely saying “good game” at GG on this occasion.

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WSOP Weekly: European Series Underway With Two Bracelet Winners, Negreanu Joining Action

The WSOP Europe is now underway and two players have secured their first bracelets in the first week of action.

The online bracelet hunting may have concluded, but the live action returned last week with the World Series of Poker Europe now underway at King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic.

After a week, two players have secured their first bracelets. The series runs through Nov. 16 and features 15 bracelet events.

The €10,350 Main Event highlights the festival and kicks off on Nov. 11. As events play out, another well-known player will soon join the mix. Six-time bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu plans on jumping in the action this week. Here’s a look at some of the headlines from the series so far.

Event 2: €550 Pot Limit Omaha Eight-Max

The Omaha action featured the second-straight bargain buy-in, bringing in 566 entries for a €268,850 prize pool. Germany’s Helmut Phung, 30, took the chip lead into the final table and never relinquished that. He scored his first bracelet and a top prize of €55,132.

“My plan was to win the tournament and to put a lot of pressure on the other players,” he said afterward. “I played with them on all the different tables and knew what to expect.”

Helmut Phung shows off his bracelet after winning the opening event at the World Serief of Polker Europe. (photo courtesy WSOP)

This was only Phung’s third career series cash, all coming in WSOPE events. The win greatly ballooned his live tournament record, which now stands at more than $84,000.

Norway’s Martin Almaas finished runner-up for €34,051, the largest score of his career.

Event 1: €350 No Limit Hold’em Opener

Some classic Hold’em action kicked off the series at the lowest buy-in level on the schedule. That brought in 2,454 entries for a €734,359 prize pool.

When the action reached heads-up play, a pair of Italians battled for the top spot. Fabio Peluso (pictured in lead image, courtesy WSOP) ultimately found the winner’s circle for €95,670. His only previous WSOP cash came in the same event in 2021.

The win comes after another big finish earlier this year. In April, Peluso took runner-up in the PokerStars European Poker Tour €1,100 Main Event in Monte Carlo for €217,340. Some recent focus on his game has apparently paid off.

“I have been studying a lot and discussing spots with my poker friends,” he said. “And of course the run-good helps too.”

Carlo Savinelli took runner-up for €59,032 and now has more than $274,000 in WSOP winnings. The Italian now has almost $1.4 million in live tournament winnings overall.

Daniel Negreanu heading to Rozvadov

With his eyes on another bracelet, Daniel Negreanu announced last week that he’d be heading to King’s as well. He even listed a staking package online for players to back the Canadian-born poker pro.

Look for Negreanu to debut in a Rozvadov field this week.

“Come and get it!” he noted on Twitter on Oct. 29. “I’m heading to WSOP Europe next week and here’s your chance to get a piece and have a sweat.”

On the Brandon Adams Podcast recently, the GGPoker ambassador discussed his own preparation for massive series like the WSOP. That includes some changes to his workout routine during the series.

Fresh off a win in the Super High Roller Bowl, he’ll be looking for another win in Europe. That turned around a year that was set to be his biggest losing year in poker. Negreanu now has almost $50 million in live tournament winnings.

Upcoming events

Plenty of big tournaments await players in the coming weeks. After three starting flights, the €1,350 Mini Main Event reaches Day 2 on Thursday.

The €550 Colossus also kicks off on Thursday and should bring in a huge field as seen at the annual live series in Las Vegas and in the recent WSOP Online at GGPoker.

For those with much bigger bankrolls, the €25,000 Platinum High Roller also gets underway on Monday. Here’s a look at the remaining schedule.

2022 WSOP Europe

DateEventTournamentBuy-inGuarantee
Nov. 1011Diamond High Roller€50,000€1,000,000
Nov. 1112Main Event€10,350€100,000
Nov. 1313PLO/NLHE Mixed€1,650€40,000
Nov. 1414Turbo Bounty Hunter€1,100€30,000
Nov. 1515Turboa Freezeout€1,000€30,000
 

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Free Money: GGMasters Overlay Edition Promises Plenty of $5 Million Fireworks on Sunday

The GGMasters Overlay Edition runs March 20 at GGPoker and promises a gargantuan $5 million guarantee for only a $150 buy-in.

It will be a super Sunday for online poker players at GGPoker. The GGMasters Overlay Edition runs March 20 and promises a gargantuan $5 million guarantee for only a $150 buy-in.

The tournament may have a fitting name considering even GGPoker staff believe making the guarantee seems unlikely. That means plenty of value for players jumping into the action on Sunday.

GG ambassador Daniel Negreanu has even promised to shave his head if the event cracks the $5 million mark. The Overlay Edition offers a nice shot in the arm for online poker and plenty of fun for players seeking an opportunity at a nice score.

“I’ve never seen an online site be this aggressive with a guarantee they can’t really think is going to hit,” Negreanu told PokerScout in February. “It’s a unique way to give back to the players.”

PokerScout spoke with GG this week  about the numbers so far and what to expect.

What’s on tap at GGPoker

GG has become one of the largest online poker operators in the world. The GGMasters launched in 2020 and is the largest weekly freezeout event in online poker.

Players in this week’s GGMasters will find something completely different however. The guarantee is astronomical for such a low buy-in. The company is even offering three different flights for players around the world including:

  • 1 – Asia flight (12:00 UTC/20:00 CST)
  • 2 – Europe flight (17:00 UTC)
  • 3 – Americas flight (22:00 UTC/19:00 BST)

Day 2 then plays out on March 21 at 17:00 UTC. The winner is guaranteed at least $450,000 with other top finishers also scoring six figures.

“The GGMasters Overlay Edition will be something very special we hope, a wonderful freezeout event with no advantages given to those players with deeper pockets, and a truly massive guarantee for all players to take aim at,” GG head of public relations Paul Burke said.

“We want this event to be something that the whole industry can point to as how poker should be, and more importantly as a tournament that absolutely every player wants to take their shot at.”

GGPoker announced the $150 GGMasters Overlay Edition on Monday.The special tournament is set for March 20 and boasts a $5 million guarantee.

Expect a huge field

Whether the tournament reaches the guarantee or not, there should be a huge field of players on Sunday. GG has been offering numerous qualifiers over the last month.

The tournament should feature players of all bankrolls. Not only is the buy-in low for a tournament of this size, but some of those qualifiers start at just $2.

Players will surely be clamoring for an event that offers so much bang for the buck. Those who may not have won an entry via satellite might decide it’s worth taking a shot at the full buy-in level. Negreanu thinks the event will be worth it.

“$150 buy-in. $5 million  guaranteed. No rebuys. There’s no way this tournament is not going to have an overlay!” Negreanu said. “This is GGPoker’s flagship freezeout tournament and you won’t want to miss out on the value this March 20.”

The event is receiving quite a bit of notice from poker players. The company has found an event to capture the spotlight of the online poker world for a bit.

As of Thursday, 8,070 players had registered for the tournament. That accounts for a bit over $1.1 million already contributed to the prize pool. Of those, more than 5,500 players won their seats in satellites.

“We’re thrilled with how the GGMasters Overlay Edition has been received by the poker community; I think people recognize what GGPoker is trying to achieve with regard to building a series of high-guarantee freezeout tournaments at a reasonable buy-in, and have embraced it,” Burke said.

“The Overlay Edition is going to be the highest value tournament of all time at this price point, with a massive guarantee that just isn’t going to be met in terms of entries.”

Reaching the guarantee?

The Overlay Edition needs a massive turnout to reach the guarantee and many may wonder if getting there is possible. Out of each $150 buy-in, $12 goes to GG as the tournament fee. So $138 of each buy-in goes into the prize pool.

As PokerScout previously reported, the tournament would need 36,232 players to reach that $5 million number. And remember, there are no re-entries in this one.

So that’s ​​the number of individual players needed – quite a hefty sum. Getting there seems very unlikely, but it will be interesting to see how many players GG is able to attract as well as who will come out on top.

GG officials don’t hold out much hope at meeting the guarantee. That means some nice free cash for those who can get in the money.

“We expect to be several thousand players short of hitting the guarantee, and that’s okay,” Burke said. “The more value offered, the happier our community will be.”

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Inside the Numbers: Can GGPoker’s Overlay Edition Reach $5M? Will Negreanu Lose His Hair? 

It seems impossible for an online poker operator – drawing enough entries into a $150 freezeout to reach a $5 million guarantee. That’s what GGPoker is at least attempting.

It seems impossible for an online poker operator – drawing enough entries into a $150 freezeout to reach a $5 million guarantee. But that’s what GGPoker is at least attempting.

Earlier this week, the operator announced a special edition of its GGMasters event on March 20. The Overlay Edition celebrates two years of running the online poker world’s biggest weekly freezeout event.

What makes the upcoming event is the massive guarantee, which seems impossible to meet, at such a low price point. Or is it?

Site ambassador Daniel Negreanu certainly doesn’t believe it’s possible and tournament organizers probably don’t either.

“I’ve never seen an online site be this aggressive with a guarantee they can’t really think is going to hit,” he told PokerScout this week. “It’s a unique way to give back to the players.”

 

A head-shaving guarantee at GGPoker

Certainly the number of entries needed to meet such a guarantee in a freezeout seems almost insurmountable. Negreanu has gone so far to say that he’ll shave his hair off should the tournament actually reach the $5 million mark.

“I think the chances of it hitting the guarantee are close to nil, so sure, I’ll shave my head on camera if it does,” he says.

Negreanu has gone with a cue ball cut once before, but didn’t find it really fit his personality.

“I did (shave my head) many years ago, but it didn’t feel like me,” he says. “I’m not so sure I have the right head shape for the bald look.”

A look at the math

Is there any shot Negreanu gets the Lex Luthor look? The numbers certainly make that hair-cutting conundrum an uphill climb. The prospect may be more like venturing into outer space.

Of the $150 buy-in, the tournament fee is $12. That means $138 from every buy-in goes to the prize pool, unless of course the tournament indeed doesn’t make the guarantee, as expected.

Then that 12 bucks from each player would be added to help make up for the overlay.

Considering that $138, the event would need 36,232 individual players. Remember, this event is in freezeout format, so no re-entries allowed.

That number would actually add a whopping extra $16 to the prize pool. Players certainly have some nice incentive to play with the event paying out a massive $450,000 to the winner. But is that enough?

Hitting the $5-mil mark?

36,000 one-time entries is simply massive. But then again, GG has seen some record-setting numbers in recent years.

In 2020, the site ran the World Series of Poker Online and the $5,000 Main Event reached a huge number of players. That tournament, with a substantially higher buy-in, produced 5,802 players for a $29.6 million prize pool.

Bulgaria’s Stoyan Madanzhiev came out on top for $3.9 million. The event even earned a Guinness World Record for “largest prize pool for an online poker tournament.”

There is precedent for even larger turnouts in the online poker world. In 2013, PokerStars ran a $1 buy-in tournament that reached 225,000 entries. Russia’s “Mr.SlavaPro” took the top spot for $25,000.

GGPoker announced the $150 GGMasters Overlay Edition on Monday.The special tournament is set for March 20 and boasts a $5 million guarantee.

In 2008, Stars also brought in 35,000 entries for an $11 tournament. The Overlay Edition however is another animal altogether with a much larger buy-in.

Just to compare, the tournament would need a number of entries that’s greater than seven US state capitals (Vermont, South Dakota, Maine, Kentucky, Montana, Alaska, and Delaware).

The number of players needed is almost half of the number of fans that attended the 2018 World Cup final, which saw France beat Croatia. It seems unlikely, but you never know.

 

Plenty of chances to qualify

Even GGPoker believes the guarantee more than likely won’t meet the guarantee – hence the Overlay Edition moniker. However, the operator is offering plenty of routes to funnel more players into the event.

Players will find satellites already underway and running daily. Qualifiers start at just $2 and allow players of all bankrolls a shot at the real extra cash offered.

With over a month before the event, these should produce plenty of players. Some massive payouts for simply finding a deep run should motivate many to jump in the action as well.

While it may be a little tongue in cheek, the Negreanu head-shaving guarantee adds a little extra fun. Who could forget Phil Hellmuth’s commentary on the 2002 WSOP Main Event?

He promised to shave his own hair if non-poker pro Robert Varkonyi emerged as the champion. The New Yorker did just that and took home $2 million.

As the episode comes to a close some clippers indeed meet Hellmuth’s head. Is there any chance the name GGMasters Overlay Edition becomes an oxymoron? Will Negreanu see his locks lanced?

Only time will tell, but the company has created a tournament that looks to bring some intrigue to the world of online poker. And some fun – with or without the clippers

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GGPoker Goes Big With $5M GGMasters Overlay Edition; Short Deck Series Also Cranks Up

GGPoker announced the $150 GGMasters Overlay Edition on Monday.The special tournament is set for March 20 and boasts a $5 million guarantee.

An overlay is usually not good news for an online poker operator. This means a tournament didn’t meet the guarantee and the site running the event forks over some of its own money to make up for the loss.

Now GGPoker is putting a new spin on the scenario with the $150 GGMasters Overlay Edition. The special tournament is set for March 20 and boasts a guaranteed prize pool of $5 million.

The unique event celebrates two years of the GGMasters, the poker world’s richest weekly freezeout tournament. The site is also launching the Short Deck Series this weekend as well.

What to expect from GGPoker’s Overlay Edition

GG launched the Masters tournaments in early 2020. The events have grown to become the industry’s richest weekly freezeouts.

Players jumping in the Overlay Edition will find three starting flights based on a player’s location:

  • 1 – Asia flight (12:00 UTC/20:00 CST)
  • 2 – Europe flight (17:00 UTC)
  • 3 – Americas flight (22:00 UTC/19:00 BST)

Those who advance in each starting flight return for Day 2 on March 21 at 17:00 UTC. With such a low buy-in, GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu believes an overlay is likely. A freezeout at that price point will require a massive field to meet the guarantee. 

“$150 buy-in. $5 million  guaranteed. No rebuys. There’s no way this tournament is not going to have an overlay!” Negreanu said in a news release. “This is GGPoker’s flagship freezeout tournament and you won’t want to miss out on the value this March 20.”

Kid Poker even offered his own guarantee regarding the guarantee for the event.

“I’ll shave my head if this thing goes over $5 million,” Negreanu noted in the GG video promoting the tournament (see below). “I’ll shave it all off.”

That might add some extra hype around the event as well.

Qualifying opportunities get underway this week

Those looking to grab a seat in the GGMasters Overlay Edition will find numerous opportunities. Satellites kick off on the site on Feb. 16 and run daily, with qualifiers starting at just $2.

New GGPoker players can also claim the poker room’s Welcome Bonus. New players can earn even more with the Honeymoon for Newcomers promotion. They also automatically join GGPoker’s Fish Buffet loyalty program, with regular cash prizes available.

All GG players can also win free entry into the Daily $100,000 #ThanksGG Flipouts via the integrated GGCare and GGCheers promotions. See more on earning these using exclusive PokerScout bonus offers below.

Short Deck Series kicks off Sunday

In other GG news, players who enjoy Short Deck are in luck this month. GG is hosting the second Short Deck Series from Feb. 20-27 with $1 million guaranteed.

The game is a bit different than traditional Texas Hold’em and played with a “shorter” deck, hence the name. Deuces through Fives are removed and the game then follows the traditional Hold’em gameplay. 

The lack of those cards makes for only a 36-card deck and brings plenty of action. The new deck even changes the math of the game and ranking of hands as well.

Straights rank higher than flushes in Short Deck. With so many higher cards, the odds of making much stronger hands increase. Some players say the game brings a bit more gamble than traditional Hold’em.

GG players will find a hefty schedule featuring $52.50 and $525 Bounty Main Events. Numerous starting flights are available throughout the series with the final stage set for Feb. 27.

The festival is designed for players of all skill levels and bankrolls. The GGPoker Short Deck Squad will also stream the action throughout the series. Here’s a look at the complete schedule.

2022 GGPoker Short Deck Series

DateTournamentBuy-inGuarantee
Feb. 20Asia High Roller $888 [3-Stack]$888$20,000
Feb. 20Asia Special $88 [3-Stack]$88$10,000
Feb. 20Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 20Bounty $52.50$52.50$5,000
Feb. 20Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 20Sunday Special $125 [3-Stack]$125$8,000
Feb. 20Bounty High Roller $1,050$1,050$25,000
Feb. 20Bounty $105$105$8,000
Feb. 20Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 20Sunday High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack]$1,500$30,000
Feb. 20Sunday Main $250 [3-Stack]$250$15,000
Feb. 20Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 20Bounty Turbo $210$210$8,000
Feb. 20Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 20Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 20Super High Roller $10,300 [3-Stack]$10,300$100,000
Feb. 20Bounty Super High Roller $5,250$5,250$75,000
Feb. 21Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 21Asia Special $88 [3-Stack]$88$6,000
Feb. 21Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 21Bounty $52.50$52.50$4,000
Feb. 21Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 21Daily Special $125 [3-Stack]$125$5,000
Feb. 21Bounty High Roller $1,050$1,050$20,000
Feb. 21Bounty $105$105$5,000
Feb. 21Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 21High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack]$1,500$25,000
Feb. 21Daily Main $250 [3-Stack]$250$8,000
Feb. 21Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 21Bounty Closer $210$210$4,000
Feb. 21Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 21Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 22Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 22Asia Special $88 [3-Stack]$88$6,000
Feb. 22Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 22Bounty $52.50$52.50$4,000
Feb. 22Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 22Daily Special $125 [3-Stack]$125$5,000
Feb. 22Bounty High Roller $1,050$1,050$20,000
Feb. 22Bounty $105$105$5,000
Feb. 22Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 22High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack]$1,500$25,000
Feb. 22Daily Main $250 [3-Stack]$250$8,000
Feb. 22Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 22Bounty Closer $210$210$4,000
Feb. 22Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 22Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 23Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 23Asia Special $88 [3-Stack]$88$6,000
Feb. 23Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 23Bounty $52.50$52.50$4,000
Feb. 23Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 23Daily Special $125 [3-Stack]$125$5,000
Feb. 23Bounty High Roller $1,050$1,050$20,000
Feb. 23Bounty $105$105$5,000
Feb. 23Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 23High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack]$1,500$25,000
Feb. 23Daily Main $250 [3-Stack]$250$8,000
Feb. 23Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 23Bounty Closer $210$210$4,000
Feb. 23Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 23Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 24Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 24Asia Special $88 [3-Stack]$88$6,000
Feb. 24Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 24Bounty $52.50$52.50$4,000
Feb. 24Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 24Daily Special $125 [3-Stack]$125$5,000
Feb. 24Bounty High Roller $1,050$1,050$20,000
Feb. 24Bounty $105$105$5,000
Feb. 24Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 24High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack]$1,500$25,000
Feb. 24Daily Main $250 [3-Stack]$250$8,000
Feb. 24Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 24Bounty Closer $210$210$4,000
Feb. 24Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 24Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 25Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 25Asia Special $88 [3-Stack]$88$5,000
Feb. 25Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 25Bounty $52.50$52.50$3,500
Feb. 25Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 25Daily Special $125 [3-Stack]$125$5,000
Feb. 25Bounty High Roller $1,050$1,050$20,000
Feb. 25Bounty $105$105$4,000
Feb. 25Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 25High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack]$1,500$25,000
Feb. 25Daily Main $250 [3-Stack]$250$6,000
Feb. 25Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 25Bounty Closer $210$210$3,000
Feb. 25Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 26Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 26Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 26Asia Special $88 [3-Stack]$88$5,000
Feb. 26Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 26Bounty $52.50$52.50$3,500
Feb. 26Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 26Daily Special $125 [3-Stack]$125$5,000
Feb. 26Bounty High Roller $1,050$1,050$20,000
Feb. 26Bounty $105$105$4,000
Feb. 26Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 26High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack]$1,500$25,000
Feb. 26Daily Main $250 [3-Stack]$250$6,000
Feb. 26Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 26Bounty Closer $210$210$3,000
Feb. 26Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 26Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 27Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 27Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 27Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 27Asia High Roller $888 [3-Stack]$888$20,000
Feb. 27Asia Special $88 [3-Stack]$88$10,000
Feb. 27Bounty Main Event $525 [Stage 1]$525$200,000
Feb. 27Bounty $52.50$52.50$5,000
Feb. 27Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Stage 1]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 27Sunday Special $125 [3-Stack]$125$8,000
Feb. 27Bounty High Roller $1,050$1,050$25,000
Feb. 27Bounty $105$105$8,000
Feb. 27Bounty Main Event $525 [Last Chance]$525$200,000
Feb. 27Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Last Chance]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 27Sunday High Roller $1,500 [3-Stack]$1,500$30,000
Feb. 27Sunday Main $250 [3-Stack]$250$15,000
Feb. 27Bounty Turbo $210$210$8,000
Feb. 27Bounty Main Event $525 [Last Minute]$525$200,000
Feb. 27Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Last Minute]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 27Bounty Main Event $525 [Final Stage]$525$200,000
Feb. 27Bounty Mini Main $52.50 [Final Stage]$52.50$100,000
Feb. 27Super High Roller $10,300 [3-Stack]$10,300$100,000
Feb. 27Bounty Super High Roller $5,250$5,250$75,000

★★★ Looking to get in the action at GGPoker? Click here for a complete site review and exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ★★★

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20 for 20, Part 1: A Complete Look at Key Moments & Events in PokerStars’ 20-Year History 

The live action continues to return to PokerStars as the company released even more regional tour dates on Wednesday.

PokerStars is launching the special Big 20 Rewind series on Sunday to celebrate the site’s 20th anniversary. The series features events honoring some of the biggest moments in the site’s history as well as some huge prizes.

PokerStars remains a titan in the online poker industry and players continue flocking to the site. With the Big 20 kicking off on Sunday, PokerScout takes a look at 20 of PokerStars’ biggest moments. (Look for Part 2 on Friday.)

1 – PokerStars debuts, changes face of online poker industry

Online poker debuted in the early ‘90s as a free-to-play game. Planet Poker became the first real money site in 1998, but struggled with technical issues.

Isai Scheinberg

PokerStars was the brainchild of former IBM Canada programmer Isai Scheinberg. A poker player himself, he envisioned a platform more appealing to players. He brought the programming skills to make that happen.

The site first launched in beta form on Sept. 11, 2001, before beginning with real money poker on Dec. 13, 2001. The first event was a $11 Limit Hold’em tournament with a $500 guarantee.

That event gave the site a nice start, producing 100 entries for a $1,000 prize pool. A player named “oscar” became the site’s first winner.

What kind of tournaments were available? Even in those early days the platform gave players several options. Beginning in December 2001, the site ran Hold’em, Omaha Hi/Lo, and Stud games with stakes from $0.10/$0.25 to $1/$2,

Players instantly loved the software’s ease of use and functionality. Stars went on to become the largest poker site in the world. Shceinberg sold his share in the company in 2014 for $4.9 billion.

2 – Chris Moneymaker wins the World Series of Poker Main Event

The company’s biggest shot in the arm came in 2003. With televised poker booming after the World Poker Tour’s debut, Chris Moneymaker turned an $86 satellite into a World Series of Poker Main Event title.

The Moneymaker win had it all: a perfect surname, ESPN showing the hole cards, big bluffs, and huge money. The event helped usher in poker to the mainstream and helped kickstart the poker boom.

The story also brought massive attention to PokerStars, with players around the world taking note. The notoriety from Moneymaker’s everyman win sent players around the world to the site hoping for their own success story.

He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2019 and remained a Team PokerStars member until the end of 2020.

3 – Daniel Negreanu signs as an ambassador

By 2007, Daniel Negreanu was already one of the most recognizable names in poker and that remains so today. “Kid Poker” already had two WPT titles and three WSOP bracelets.

Daniel Negreanu (photo courtesy WPT)

Negreanu was perfect for the era of televised poker: funny, personable, and highly skilled. PokerStars recognized this and signed the poker star in June 2007.

Quickly becoming the face of the site for years, Negreanu was engaging with fans and media at live events. A poker lifer, PokerStars found the right player to represent its product.

The partnership lasted until 2019, when Negreanu announced a new sponsorship deal with GGPoker. Negreanu has moved on, but remains an important part of PokerStars’ history.

The company continued signing some of the biggest and best in the game including Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier. The company has also reached outside for ambassadors, such as recently signing football superstar Neymar Jr.

4 – Paying back Black Friday players

The United States federal government cracked down on online on April 15, 2011. The day is known as Black Friday by poker players.

The move shut American players out of their online poker accounts. The actions also exposed the financial irregularities at Full Tilt Poker.

The feds referred to the site as a “Ponzi scheme” and charged that owners had been dipping into player funds. Players were left in limbo as to whether they’d ever recoup funds they had locked on the site.

To the contrary, PokerStars began player cashouts on April 26 and offered some salvation for Full Tilt players as well. As part of its agreement with the federal government, PokerStars acquired the failed online poker outfit.

The agreement included the company paying back players from that site who had not received their funds.

5 – Sunday Million becomes a staple

PokerStars debuted the first Sunday Million on March 4, 2006. The event is now the longest running weekly tournament with a $1 million guarantee.

That first tournament topped the guarantee with a prize pool of $1.2 million. Canada’s “aaaaaaaa” became the Sunday Million’s first winner for $173,843.

The event continues bringing in big fields each Sunday and has become a staple in the industry. Stars continues to up the guarantees for anniversary years.

This year’s 15th anniversary edition featured 69,876 entries for almost a $14 million prize pool, topping the $12.5 million guarantee. Vanessa Kade came out on top for $1.5 million.

6 – Platinum Pass rocks the poker world

Throughout 2018, the Platinum Pass became the hottest ticket in poker. The site planned to run the $25,000 PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) in January 2019 in the Bahamas as part of the annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

Platinum Pass

A pass awarded a player a complete buy-in and travel package valued at $30,000. The site gave out passes in numerous ways, including smaller buy-in tournaments as part of the Moneymaker Tour. The site also awarded passes via social media, contests, and more.

In the end, PokerStars awarded 320 passes for the big week at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. That comes out to $9.6 million in tournament entries and travel packages. The promotion garnered the site plenty of attention and players enjoyed taking a shot at a Platinum Pass.

7 – PokerStars Players Championship

After the Platinum Passes were awarded in 2018, there was still a tournament to play. The $25,000 PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) event in the Bahamas had a unique vibe and plenty of positive energy.

The field for the tournament also featured some unique dynamics. There was a large contingent of pros but also a major pool of poker novices who also won Platinum Passes. Many players also bought into the tournament, swelling the prize pool even more.

Ramon Colillas celebrates winning the PSPC in the Bahamas. (photo courtesy PokerStars)

The event saw some great stories of players winning a pass and then finding a nice score in the tournament. Jacki Burkhart was one of those. She won a contest involving Maria Konnikova, in which she wrote her own poker story.

“I still can’t believe it,” she told USPoker before heading to the Bahamas.

“I was actually going to do a couple of those other PokerStars’ challenges to have a better shot at winning a Platinum Pass. But as it turned out, I put so much time into the story that it took all my free time. It took about three weeks, so I ended up putting all my eggs in one basket – and won.”

This poker story had a happy ending. Burkhart finished 38th for $86,400. The event attracted a total of 1,039 entries and a prize pool of $26.5 million.

In the end, Spain’s Ramon Colillas came out on top for $5.1 million after gaining an entry with a Platinum Pass.

8 – WCOOP tournament series launched

The World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) series annually features some of the biggest events in poker. The festival launched in 2002 and offered an online alternative to major live events like the WSOP and WPT.

WCOOP continued to grow in size throughout the years and is held each September. Stars now also offers several versions including the Spring COOP (SCOOP).

Versions of the series can be found on the Southern Europe platform for players in France, Spain, and Portugal. COOP series are also held in the US markets as well. COOP events continue to attract huge fields and are some of the biggest events in online poker.

9 – EPT grows poker in Europe

The European Poker Tour is one of the top poker tours in the world with major prizes from glamorous casinos across the continent. The tour debuted in September of 2004 with the EPT Barcelona Open. That first event featured a €1,000 Main Event that drew 229 players.

 

The series was created by television director and poker player John Duthie. However, in 2011 PokerStars purchased the entire tour and the EPT has seen wins from some of the biggest names in poker.

Several EPT tournaments ran online in 2020 and the tour recently relaunched with events announced in Russia, Brazil, and the Czech Republic.

10 – Spin & Go sets a trend

Quick, short-handed tournaments with random prizes have become popular options for online poker players. These events have become easy for mobile players and those on the go. Most online sites now offer some form of this poker concept.

PokerStars first launched Spin & Go events in 2014. There had been other versions, but the tournaments became a hit for Stars.

The events allow players to win as much as 10,000 times a player’s buy-in, offering a nice jackpot-style payday.

♠♦♣♥

Check back Friday for No. 11-20.

★★★ Ready to get in the action at PokerStars? Click here for a complete site review with exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ★★★

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COOLER CONTROL: Unique GGPoker Promotion Pays Back Players Experiencing Bad Luck

GGPoker has launched a new promotion to help players experiencing some bad luck.

Bad beats – be gone. That’s the message GGPoker is sending to start the new year.

The site launched a new integrated promotion on Jan. 1 called GGCare and hopes to ease the pain of coolers and suckouts. Cash game players experiencing these types of poker disasters are rewarded as part of the program.

GG will be tracking cash game hands throughout January. Players who experience bad beats are registered automatically to a daily $30,000 Flipout tournament.

“We’ve all experienced the pain of bad beats. It’s part of the game,” GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu said in a news release. “But GGPoker has your back. With GGCare, you can suffer the worst bad beat, and still come out ahead.”

How does GGCare work?

After earning a tournament ticket , each “unlucky” player receives an entry for the following day. There are a few interesting wrinkles to the promotion.

When the Flipout tournament starts, players will be awarded different starting chip stacks depending on how unlucky they were. A custom data algorithm will determine each player’s chips – meaning the bigger the bad beat, the more a player has in the tournament.

The conditions that trigger eligible bad beats, coolers, or suckouts vary by game. The company plans to continuously optimize the GGCare system.

In the coming weeks, GG will add new trigger points to expand eligibility. That should reward even more players that find themselves in unlucky situations.

GGCare tries to channel rewards to players that might need them the most. The promotion brings something a bit different than the traditional online poker tournament reward.

Most sites normally reward similar freeroll entries to cash game players based solely on volume. Company promotions staff members have high hopes for GGCare and will monitor how players receive the program.

More than $7 million given away in January

With online poker exploding around the world, GGPoker continues to work to meet player demand. That includes on the promotion front as well.

The site has promised more than $7 million in free money up for grabs throughout January. Along with the GGCare promotion, players will find $40,000 given away daily in Rush and cash game leaderboard prizes. That totals $1.3 million in cash prizes for the month.

The site is also offering $20,000 in daily leaderboard cash for Spin & Gold players. Here’s a look at just a few other promotions planned:

  • All-In or Fold daily prizes – Play 100 hands and earn one buy-in every day.
  • Short Deck (6+) Hold’em leaderboard – GG is giving away $150,000 this month with $5,000 awarded daily.
  • Daily free spin – Simply log in and earn a daily $0.25 Spin & Gold ticket. Players have an opportunity to win up to 12,000 times their buy-in.

Along with all the January promotions, the World Series of Poker Online Circuit series continues through Jan. 10.

The series has a packed schedule with 18 championship ring events and $100 million guaranteed. For a complete look at that series, click here.

★★★ Looking to get in the action at GGPoker? Click here for a complete site review and exclusive PokerScout bonus offers. ★★★

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TALE OF THE TAPE: Daniel Negreanu, Doug Polk Heading Toward Big Poker Showdown

Doug Polk and Deniel Negreanu have agreed to a high-stakes online poker matchup.

Maybe the upcoming battle between Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk should be billed as the Tank Top Tussle. Whatever the name, the matchup has been confirmed and should be a blockbuster poker showdown.

After plenty of back and forth, Polk and Negreanu have arrived at a general agreement on how things will go down. Some details remain to be sorted out, but there should be plenty of fireworks when the online poker battle commences sometime in September or October.

Bad vibes for a big event

Another big heads-up match took place recently as part of the new PokerGO series, The Duel. That featured Phil Hellmuth and Antonio Esfandiari battling it out for $50,000 each.

Unlike that event, this battle should be a little more salty. Both come into the event not as friendly rivals, but more as definite adversaries.

The animosity started in 2016 when Negreanu offered his opinions on increased rake at PokerStars. An ambassador at the company at the time, he argued increased rake in some cash games could keep pros away. That would be good for recreational players, he noted.

Polk believed Negreanu wasn’t representing players well. He’s since been a frequent critic and that included a “More Rake is Better” billboard at the World Series of Poker in 2018.

Negreanu says Polk uses him as a foil to grow his YouTube audience. He’s also taken a few jibes in recent years as well.

The insults have flown over the last week. Negreanu says Polk has bullied him and has an “an unhealthy obsession.”

Polk has referred to Negreanu as a sellout who “belittles people quite frequently.” He threw some shade in his nemesis’ direction.

A look inside the numbers

Whatever the case, the antagonism boiled over throughout the last week. Polk challenged Negreanu heads-up and that was accepted. Here are some of the details that have been ironed out so far.

  • Game – Heads-up No Limit Hold’em
  • Stakes – $200/$400
  • Number of hands – Between 10,000 and 25,000
  • Number of tables – 2
  • Side bet – unknown as of now
  • Time – To be determined, possibly September or October

Where do the two combatants stand heading into the matchup? Like two boxers ready to slug it out, here’s the complete tale of the tape.

Daniel Negreanu

Originally from Canada and now living in Las Vegas, he’s one of the most recognized names in poker. No stranger to table talk, Negreanu also brings big skills.

However, the six-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner says he’ll be at a disadvantage heads-up against Polk.

Major accomplishments: $42 million in lifetime tournament winnings; six WSOP bracelet, two WPT titles

  • Poker style: Small-ball poker, but adapted style through the years
  • Poker media/business: Longtime ambassador for PokerStars, but now part of Team GGPoker; streams his online play and produces daily vlogs during WSOP events
  • Interests away from the tables: hockey
  • Extra bullet point: Produced a MasterClass on poker strategy

Doug Polk

A YouTube poker sensation, Polk has plenty of heads-up online poker experience. However, he’s been out of the game for a few years and focused on other topics.

Originally from California and now based in Las Vegas, Polk has come out of retirement for this challenge. The poker world will be buzzing when they take a seat at the table.

  • Major accomplishments: $3.7 million in live tournament winnings as well as significant online winnings; three WSOP bracelets including the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop for $3.7 million
  • Poker style: Highly experienced, technically sound, ability to make correct adjustments relative to opponents
  • Poker media/business: Co-founder of Upswing Poker training site; successful YouTube channels  
  • Interests away from the tables: Trading cryptocurrency
  • Extra bullet point: Part of a team that beat artificial intelligence bot at Carnegie Mellon University

Players ready to take in the action

Many players have taken to Twitter to voice their anticipation of the event. It seems many poker fans have been dreaming of the tank top-clad poker warriors battling it out.

Popular commentator Nick Schulman expressed the thoughts of many in the poker world. With Team Polk versus Team Negreanu, he believes a large multimedia presentation should be part of the fun.

“Listen buddy, as far as commentary goes there should be different teams/platforms covering this thing,” he noted in a response to a Polk Tweet. “I really don’t know but everyone should come out of the woodwork. All I ask is for a little sit down with you both before playing face to face. Borderline aroused thinking about it.”

Shaun Deeb also took to Twitter offering some speculative lines related to the event. He even threw in a tank top wager.

Look for more at PokerScout as more details are announced. Whatever the outcome, it should be quite an interesting poker brawl.